Gas-producer.



Patented Oct. 13,1908.

WITNESSES: ,INVENTOR 1-1; I. LEA. v

GAS PRODUCER. APPLICATION FILED MAR-.14, 1906.

900,862. Patented Oct. 13,1908.

2 SHEETS- SHEET 2.

UNITED sTA'rEs PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY I. LEA, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVA NIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE WESTINGHOUSEMACHINE. COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

- GAS-LPRODUGER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 13,1908.

\ To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY I. LEA, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have made a new and useful Invention in Gas-Producers, ofwhich of the fuel contained in the gas-generating the following is'aspecification.

This invention relates to gas producers and has foran object theproduction of a produccrparticularly adapted to utilize bituminous coal,but which is capable of efiectively utilizing a large variety of otherfuel in the production of a tar-free gas.

The object of this invention is the production of a gas producer inwhich'means are provided for utilizing the sensible heat, of the gasesgenerated for fixing the hydrocar bon vapors into permanent gases.

A further object is the production of a producer in which means areprovided. for utilizing a portion of the sensible heat of the gasesgenerated, in assisting the distillation in Fig. 1.

The producer is provided with agas-gen crating chamber 3, which isprovided with a blast twyer 4 extending through a foundation 5,whichsupports the producer, and a blast twyer 6, which extends throughthe top plate of the producer. A row of ofl'take ports 7, from which thegases generated are discharged, divides the chamber 3 into. a down draftgenerating chamber 8, which is provided with the blast twyer 6 and anup.

draft, generating chamber 9, which is. provided with the blast twyer 4.v

A cylindrical shell 11 incloses the gasgenerating chamber and isprovided at the top with a suitable flange angle 12 to which the topplate 13 is-secured. The shell 11 extends downwardly into a water pan14,

which is formed in the foundation 5 and which is adapted, by beingfilled with water, to sealthe interior of the producer in such a waythat the ash discharged from the generating chamber into the water panmay be removed without affecting the operation of the producer orallowing the escape of gas.

Within shell 11 is a refractory lining 15, resting on base ring .16,which, in turn, is carried by piers, (not shown), built up fromfoundation 5 in water pan 14. ,A refractory lining 17, sup orted b thelini 15 incloses the down d f'aft generating chii nbei 8 and is soarranged that an annular chamber 18 is maintained between it and thelining 15. A discharge port 19 extends through the'lining 15 and shell11 near the top of the producer and communicates with the annularchamberIS, which communicates 1 with the otft-ake ports'7. The lining 17is preferably conical in shape and a suitable number of wing walls 20,arranged between it and the lining 15, are provided to insure rigidityof construction. The wing walls 20 are provided with a suitable numberof openings 21, which permit the gas entering the ports 7 to travelthrough the chamber 18v and be discharged from the discharge port19.,which may connected with a gas main or other suitable passage.

The top plate 13 of the producer comprises a water pan in which adesired depth of water is maintained and through whicht-he blast twyerextends. A suitable fuelfeeding device 22' is attached to a plate 13 andis adapted to supply fuel through the top plate to the gasgeneratingchamber 8. Suitable sight or poke holes 23 and 24, which;- are providedwith suitable water-sealed covers 25, extend through the top portion andcommunicate with the annular chamber 18 and the spectively.

Suitable poke holes 26 extend through the shell 11 and the lining 15 andare located gas-generating chamber 8 re-- adjacent to the ofi'take ports7 and are so constructed that the fuel in the gas generating chamber 9may be thoroughly stirred by poking rods inserted therethrough. Sightholes 27 extend through the bottomportion of the-shell 11 and the lining15 at approximately the ash-line level. The blast twyer 4, which extendsinto the gas-generating chamber 9, communicates with a blower 28 and isadapted to supply a blast of air and ,the annular chamber 18.

steam or air and products of combustion in regulable amounts to thegas-generating chamber 9. The blast twyer 6, which extends through thetop plate 13, is provided with a blower 29 similar to the blower 28 andis adapted to supply a regulable blast products of comvfrom chamber 8will be composed of straight producer gas, water gas and products ofdestructive distillation; from the chamber 9 will be obtained producergas and Water gas only. The gases generated in the upper and lowerportions of the producer are mixed in the olftake ports 7 and aredischarged into the annular chamber 18. The sensible heat of the gasesgenerated in both ends of the producer, as well as the radiant heatfromfuel in chamber 8, is available for breaking up and fixing anyhydrocarbon vapors which may be present in the gas passing through Aportion of the sensible heat of the gases passing through the annularchamber 18 is transmitted through the refractory lining 17 and assiststo some extent in distilling or driving off the volatile matter from thegreen fuel introduced to the top portion of the producer.- The spacebetween" the top portion of the fuel bed in the gas-generating chamberand the top plate 13 of the producer is relatively large, and for thisreason, the blast entering through the tWyer will travel at a relativelyslow rate from the twyer to the fuel bed and will be heated by radiationfrom the refractory lining 17 before it reaches the greenTfuel. Thesensible heatof the gases generated in the producer, therefore, performsthe three funetions'of fixing hydrocarbon vapors in the outgoing gases,of assisting in the volatilization of the green fuel and of preheatingthe blast supplied to the fuel. The Wing walls, in conjunction with thelining 17 and the upper portion of the lining 15, serve, in a measure,the same purpose as the checker brick in a water gas superheater.

The lower portion of the producer generates straight producer gasandwater gas and completes the gasification of such particles of carbonas are not consumed in the upper portion of the generating chamber.There is little or no chance for the formation of tarry vapors in thelower portion of the fuel 'bed, as the green fuel fed into the top ofthe producer will "be stripped of all its volatile matter before it hastraveled half way from the top of the fuel bed to the oil'- take ports7. It is advisable, however, to have a relatively large amount ofsensible heat in the gases passing through the fixing chamber and forthis reason the gases from the lower section are mixed with the gasesfrom the upper section. The combined sectional area of the gas otttakeports 7 is relatively large, thereby allowing a slow travel of thegases, which decreases the. tendency toward choking the ports. As theoll'talte ports are so arranged that no gas can reach them withoutpassing through considerable depth of incandescent fuel, the chance ofgetting a mixture of tar and lampblack in the outgoing gases ispractically eliminated.

The conical shape of the generating chamber prevents, to some extent,bridging of the fuel bed, but a stirring arm may be provided if neededand any type of fuel-feeding device, automatic or otherwise, may heutilized and Various other changes may be made and still fall within thespirit and scope of this invention.

What I claim is:

In a gas producer, an updraft gas generating section. a downdraft gasgenerating section superimposed thereon and having a heat-conductinglining. a plurality of outlet ports located intermediate of saidsections, a fixing chamber surrounding said downdraft section.eommunicating with said outlet ports, and formed by said heat-eomluctinglining and the outer wall or shell of the producer of the downdraft.sect ion and a plurality of wing walls located between the producershell and the heat-conducl'ing lining. forming independent lines and agas outlet at the upper cndof the fixing chamber and means ofcommunication between said lines and said gas outlet.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 13th dayof March, 1906.

HENRY I. LEA.

lVitnesses GnAnLns W. lrIoGnnn, E. liloCxla ls'rrui.

